Mirror Mirror
by Cat 2
Summary: A sequel to captain's Desire


Paramount owns everything. The inspiration for this story was Captain's Desire by Whoa Nellie, who I would like to thank for letting me like a sequel. Their excellent story can be found on this very site.

Chapter 1 The ISS Enterprise

"Never accept anything to eat of drink, unless your refusal will make things worse."

"Check everything for traps and listening equipment."

"If they use the agonizer in your presence, don't object. It's part of their culture."

"So is murder. Never forget that."

The five Klingon guards and the Cardassian Ambassador stood taking this all in, though their faces revealed nothing.

"I think that's everything." The young Cardassian cultural expert said, rubbing her ridges with the back of one hand. "Can you think of anything else sir?"

Regent Worf of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance shook his head.

"Be careful" he said gazing into the eyes of his brother Kurn, the leader of the team. "Bring honor to the Alliance. Qua'pal!"

"Qua'pal!" the Klingons replied as in a shimmer of light, the transporter room of the Alliance ship vanished to be replaced with the less familiar and less welcoming sight of the Imperial Ship, ISS Enterprise.

"Ambassador Garhe'el." This came from a man with a sleek, muscular build and handsome, chiselled features. Dressed in a crimson tunic with gold epaulettes, a ceremonial dagger hung from the woven-gold sash that belted the waist of the short vest and tight black, uniform pants. He was the ship's captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Garhe'el reviewed everything the cultural expert had told them. Captain of the Enterprise for 5 years, came to power by assassination of his commanding officer on the ISS Stargazer. Captain's woman, Doctor Beverly Crusher.

"Captain Picard. At last we meet. How is the good Doctor Crusher? Well I trust?"

A flash of anger crossed Picard's face, revealing how dangerous he was behind the cobra smile. And the expression on Commander William Riker's face was noted by Kurn as a cause for concern.

"Do'Ho" Dorrek declared, flinging himself on to a bunk. They had already removed the mattresses and searched every inch of the quarter for probes and other murder devices. Now a wej'Ij device sat in the middle of the floor to prevent their conversation from been eavesdropped on.

"The situation has altered."

Kurn nodded. "What do we know about this Vash?"

"A request has been sent to the alliance of information." K'Rene said. "They should get back to us. The cultural expert has been taken into the service."

They all nodded, knowing full well what that meant. It had probably been a genuine mistake, but out here mistakes got you killed.

"The situation may be more serious than we thought." K'Rene continued, sinking on to the bunk next to Dorrek, "Our bags were searched. I found seven different listening devices."

"We knew they'd do that" Goran, The fourth member of the team.

K'Rene nodded. "But they had replaced what they thought was Leporazine, Cordrazine, hyronalyn, inaprovaline, and Corophinzine with adrenaline."

"What did they actually get?" asked Dorrek

"Coloured water."

They all laughed.

"Perhaps I should pay the good doctor Crusher a visit." K'Rene continued, leaning back against the bunk. "Find out what she thinks of the situation."

Kurn nodded. "Good Plan."

"Why are we bothering making all this fuss?" asked Toq, the final and youngest member of the team. "They've lost."

"A cornered Tagh is always the most dangerous tagh. You, as a hunter Toq, should know that. It has nothing to lose and everything to gain." This came from Kurn.

"Beside that," K'Rene added, "we don't know they've lost. 5 years ago they came with in 5 kellicans of the Home world. We've driven them back, but they're still dangerous."  
All 5 of them shook their head at the memory of the destruction reeked by the Empire upon the worlds they had conquered.

K'Rene got to her feet. "I will go and see Doctor Crusher."

K'Rene stood in the corridor outside of sickbay, gathering her courage. Medicine within the Terran Empire had not moved on since the late 22nd century. She heard the tramp of boots, which accompanied the ship's security chief Deanna Troi when she wished to be heard. K'Rene didn't think she could handle an argument with her this early in the proceedings, so she step though the doors into sick bay.

It took all her courage not to wince.

The room was filthy. A jeghpu'wI' medic nearly 5 centuries behind the Klingons would have refused to operate in there. Yet despite this the beds were all full.

The one nearest to her held a humanoid male, little more than a boy. Despite been covered with 3rd degree burns he was still awake, moaning softly. Any Petq with a hint of compassion would have killed him.

She tried not to look, tried to remember that the Blockade by Alliance's ships, that the rebellions on Andoria and Vulcan were making it basically impossible for drugs to get though, that the only reason they weren't in a similar position was the resources of Bajor and of both their empires, but she still felt her hand, almost without her knowledge, sliding towards her D'ktahg.

Dr Crusher was standing with a nurse by another bed. Even from here she could see that its occupant was in an even worse condition. Some movement drew the doctor's attention to where she was standing.

"Can I help you lieutenant?"

"I hope so" she said, reaching inside her baldric and taking out a small vial.

"Andrendvile and this." She held out another vial and watched the doctors face light up, as she recognised it.

Melorazine. A single shot would ease the pain of the young man in the bed beside her. The amount in her hand would be enough to keep this sickbay going for a while if properly used.

"From Ambassador Garhe'el, to make up for his mistake early."

"The ambassador is very kind." Crusher muttered, taking it from her.

"The person responsible for the error has been dealt with, and the Ambassador apologises for his mistake. He is horrified that he could be so dishonourable to suggest that you could have an improper relationship with your commanding officer."

Dr Crusher slammed the vial of Andrendvile on to a table.

"Dishonourable!" she spat the word out. "Yes I'll agree with you there. Do you know how long I was the captain's woman?" she continued before K'Rene could reply. "15 years! He took me from the man I loved! Then he killed him! Yet despite all of that I was loyal to him! And then he throws me over for some tramp of an archaeologist! He met on Risa! For crying out loud the woman almost got him kill by destroying the Tox Uthat! That could have won us the war! And that B-"

"Is there a problem doctor?" Deanna Troi had entered virtually silently, coming up behind the doctor.

K'Rene silently cursed the woman to the depths of Gre'thor, as she and the doctor replied slowly "no lieutenant."

K'Rene muttered her excuses and left.

Once she was in the corridor, she reached for her communicator.

"Kurn, K'Rene here. What do you know about the Tox Uthat?"

"Dr Crusher, despite her anger, is apparently accurate." Kurn observed, an hour later, as he prepared for the formal dinner.

"Vash was a member of the Imperial Archeological council until five years ago, when she became Dr Estragon's personal assistant helping him search for the Uthat, a quantum phase inhibitor capable of halting all nuclear reaction within a star. The artefact was allege to have been developed by a scientist named Kal Dano in the mid-twenty-seventh century and hidden in the past. To be honest most of the council thought that he was a crackpot, it appears that he may not have been. Reports from Risa indicate that Vash destroyed the device. She was taken to the Enterprise at the Captain's woman."

"Interesting choice." K'Rene observed, loading her disruptor.

"Has its benefits," Goran observed, tightening his armour. "After all she has no loyalties on the ship, so is unlikely to become involved in a murder attempt."

"Not Really" K'Rene replied. "Since the time of the empress Hoshi, it has become standard practise for the any captain to kill his predecessor's woman. After she obtained power by poisoning Jonathon Archer, with the help of her lover Mayweather."

Kurn nodded. "We will have a greater opportunity to observe her tonight."

"You're sure you'll be alright on your own?" Dorrek asked, adjusting a strap.

"I'll be fine." K'Rene replied, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I can take care of myself. Perhaps" she muttered leaning in, "when you return you would like a demonstration. Grrr."

"Grrr" Dorrek replied, eagerly.

"It is time to leave." Said Kurn.

For all his mistrust of Garhe'el, Kurn had to admire him. The Romulan ale had been flowing for hours, yet Garhe'el still look as fresh as when they sat down. The same could not be said for most of the human officers, who were all drunker than Kurn would have thought possible. He spilled his drink upon the floor, careful not to be seen. There was no way any member of the Bej would be drunk. Their job was to protect the ambassadors, and they were expected to die in their duties, forbidden to take a mate until after their tour was over. He shook his head and focused on the scene in front of him.

The only person who seemed reasonable sober was Vash. Picard's bodyguard, Reginald Barclay had dragged her in nearly an hour ago, and if Kurn was honest he admired her. She had fought Barclay every step of the way, yet when she saw them all sitting there she had disentangled herself from Barclay grasped, tugged on the rags that Human's called a uniform and taken her seat next to Picard. He was definitely drunk, and had been pawing at her for the last hour, in a manner that all three Klingon found insulting. Kurn's mind rested on the only marriage he had any clear memories of, his brother's to B'Etor sister of the Emperor Duras. They had been married nearly 15 years, since they had both reached the age of Ascension. It had been no surprise to anyone, as the two had been raised together after the death of his and Worf's parents at Khitomer. She was one of the strongest women Kurn knew, and he couldn't see her allowing Worf to behave in the way in private, let alone in public.

He stole a glance at Toq's face. Disgust was written all over it. He must speak with him about that. True this was his first time in the Empire, but you need to be careful.

"Get your hands off me you-" Vash was interrupted by Barclay, who grabbed her as she struggled against Picard. She drove her elbow in to his stomach, causing Barclay to double up in pain. She fled the room. One of Picard's body guards made to follow her, but Picard shook his head.

"Leave her."

K'Rene sat in the darkness, her disruptor spread across her lap. She had eaten her dried Bregit lung and now sat still on guard.

Her hand stroked the scar on her wrist when the phaser had missed her, when she was three. The blast had killed her half human cousin K'Ehleyr, but they had not found her.

The humans who had killed her family had been part of a group heading for Qu'noS slaughtering all Klingon at post in their path. A great fleet had been gathered to save the home world, when suddenly the humans had stopped and retreated.

K'Rene after her parents' deaths had grown up in the camps of refugees. It was there she had been found by imperial intelligence agents and recruited into the Bej. Since then this had been the only life she knew.

She shook her head.

"Keep it together" she muttered. "Treason is in their blood."

Thinking of the human held in the council she growled softly. It would not be long now till the dead were avenged.

Suddenly she heard something in the next room. Getting swiftly and silently to her feet, she moved over to the connecting door. Dorrek, before he left had partly wedged it open and she could hear voices from with in the room. A man and a woman, both human. The woman was speaking, angrily and at the same time slightly afraid.

"Why are you following me?"

The man answered, but K'Rene could not hear what they said.

"I don't care! I won't... what got there? No! NO!"

K'Rene aimed her disruptor and fired.

The door vaporised, just in time for K'Rene to hear a hiss of a door and see a dark shape vanish in to the corridor. She made to follow him, until her foot came in contact with something soft and sticky. Her nose twitched.

She quickly touched her communicator.

"K'Rene to Kurn," she said. "You had best return. There has been an incident."


End file.
